The sickening thud that ended a champion's life

David Hookes appeared to be walking away from a scuffle outside a Melbourne pub when he was hit, falling to the ground with a thud, witnesses said.

Fellow cricketer Darren Lehmann was also grabbed during the melee near the Beaconsfield Hotel in Chapel Street, St Kilda, on Sunday night. Hookes had been drinking with teammates and friends celebrating Victoria's win over South Australia in their one-day match.

He was tucked away in a corner having a quiet drink, patrons said, but appeared to get caught up in a scuffle in nearby Cowderoy Street when he left.

A resident, Joseph Robilotta, 30, said he saw a clash between about 12 people and could hear shouting, with women yelling: "Stop it, leave him alone."

"When I opened my curtains I saw a group of about 12 people standing together. It looked like they were having an argument," Mr Robilotta said.

Hookes appeared to be walking away from the scuffle and towards his car when the attack happened, he said.

Just before Hookes was hit, Lehmann, the South Australian captain, was put in a headlock, Mr Robilotta said.

After the incident, the crowd called ambulances and police. Hookes was given resuscitation for 30 minutes before being taken to the Alfred Hospital.

"Darren Lehmann was just sitting here. I was sitting there giving him water . . . just trying to comfort. I didn't realise until this morning who it was.

"Lehmann and Hookesy are public figures. They just wanted to walk away . . . they didn't want a bar of it. A good bouncer should talk his way out of the situation . . . I said to my girlfriend, look how easy a life is taken, just one punch. People are scared to go out these days because of nonsense like this."

Another Cowderoy Street resident, Roman Longer, said he had called police after hearing shouting and seeing pushing and shoving between two groups of people about 11.30pm. A group of women appeared to be trying to calm things down.

"About three women were trying to get people to break up and [were] screaming trying to get people to be sensible," he said.

"The group moved to the other side of the street and I looked up and all of a sudden there was someone on the ground. People started doing CPR on him, they continued to do that for more than half an hour." A paramedic who tried to revive Hookes, Marcus Stacey, told a radio station it was a difficult job. "When it became apparent who the patient was, having that person as a childhood hero, yeah, it does make it a little bit challenging."